NEXUS

Executive Summary

The Duston archetype is a strategic anomaly, built on the peculiar gimmick of swarming the field?not just your own, but forcibly summoning its members to the opponent's side. The goal is to clog their monster zones with weak, 0 ATK Fiends that carry crippling restrictions. However, this unique strategy was rendered obsolete by the introduction of Link Summoning, which turned the intended burden into free resources for the opponent. Paradoxically, the archetype has found new life not as a cohesive strategy, but through its most unassuming member, the proudust of them all, which has become a pivotal one-card starter for the meta-relevant "Fiendsmith" engine.

The Duston Roster

The archetype's roles are sharply divided between the engine that starts the play and the disruptive "payload" monsters.

The Linchpin: House Duston

The absolute heart of the archetype. When destroyed by an opponent's card, it allows you to Special Summon "Duston" monsters from your deck to anywhere on the field, enabling the core gimmick of swarming both boards.

The Enabler: White Duston

A Normal Monster whose strength lies in what it lacks: the restrictive text of its brethren. As an unrestricted Level 1 LIGHT Fiend, it is the most valuable Duston for your own board and the key to the archetype's modern relevance.

The Nuisance Payload

Red Duston

Inflicts 500 damage to its controller when destroyed.

Green Duston

Bounces a Spell/Trap to its controller's hand when destroyed.

Blue Duston

Temporarily banishes a card from its controller's hand when destroyed.

Yellow Duston

Shuffles a monster from GY to Deck when its controller's destroyed.

Core Combo: The Goblin King OTK

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The deck's most direct win condition starts by baiting the opponent into destroying House Duston.

House Duston
Missing: 40343749
1

Trigger the Swarm

Summon House Duston and have it destroyed by an opponent's card. Its effect activates from the Graveyard.

Swarm the field with Dustons
2

Optimal Distribution

Summon the four colored "Nuisance" Dustons to the opponent's field and four "Beneficial" Dustons (like White Duston) to your own field.

Goblin King
Missing: 18590133
3

Summon the King

Summon Goblin King. With 8 other Fiends on the field, its ATK becomes 8000. Attack a 0 ATK Duston on the opponent's field for game.

The Two Divergent Endboards

Win Condition I: The OTK

Goblin King
Missing: 18590133
  • Goal: Achieve a One-Turn Kill.
  • Method: Use House Duston to swarm both sides of the field with Fiends, then summon a massive Goblin King to attack for 8000+ damage.

Win Condition II: The Lockdown

Starduston
Missing: 95403418
  • Goal: Control the board and lock the opponent out of plays.
  • Method: Summon Starduston by sending your own Dustons to the GY. Its effect prevents the opponent from Special Summoning or activating Set Spell/Traps.

Competitive Analysis

Strengths

  • Unexpected Angle: The core gimmick can catch unprepared opponents off-guard, especially non-Link decks.
  • Explosive OTK: The Goblin King combo can end the game out of nowhere if the setup is successful.
  • Potent Engine Piece: White Duston is a top-tier starter for the Fiendsmith engine, giving the archetype modern relevance.

Weaknesses

  • Link Summoning: The archetype's fatal flaw. Giving an opponent free monsters is a game-losing move in the modern era, as they become Link Materials.
  • Fragile Setup: The entire strategy hinges on the opponent destroying House Duston. Non-destruction removal or simple negation stops the deck completely.
  • Mutually Exclusive: The OTK and Lockdown strategies conflict with each other, forcing the player to commit to one path early on.

Synergies & Engines

  • Fiendsmith Engine: The premier way to play a "Duston" card competitively is to use White Duston as a one-card starter for this powerful LIGHT Fiend engine.
  • Generic Fiend Support: Cards like Goblin King and Level 1 extenders like Stygian Security are crucial for the pure build's consistency.

Banlist Impact

Fully Unrestricted

As of the current TCG format, the Duston archetype is entirely unrestricted, allowing it to operate at full capacity.

Maximum Consistency

Play any card at your preferred ratio without restrictions

Full Strength Plays

Access to all archetype synergies without limitations

Strategic Freedom

No banlist constraints holding back your strategy

Banlist Status Summary

+ analyzed • 0 restrictions found • All cards legal at 3 copies